Deandre Ayton has been a major factor in the Los Angeles Lakers taking a 3-1 series lead over the Houston Rockets.
Ayton has been engaged on both ends of the floor for the Lakers, able to defend and score when the needs him to. He had his best outing in the Game 4 loss to the Houston Rockets where he recorded a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds, but he was questionably ejected from the game after elbowing Alperen Sengun in the head.
Ayton had every right to be upset in the moment, but Marcus Smart praised him for remaining composed as he left the floor.
“It’s been tough with DA. We’ve been hard on him, he’s been hard on himself, you guys have been hard on him,” Smart said. “It’s all good though. He’s been taking it an embracing it and trying to get better and better. Today, he showed that. We came out and relied on him a little bit more, he made plays for us and then obviously the ejection. We all understood it was some BS. That’s what we felt. He was just trying to brace himself, it’s two guys who are sweating their butts off playing the game and his arm slips up.
“But we’re proud of the way he handled it. That speaks volumes about who he is and his progression. He’s learning. He could’ve easily, and it probably would’ve been justifiable if he went off, right? But to keep his composure and stay positive, I think that’s only gonna help him and this team.”
Ayton is not one to pick fights or talk trash on the court, and there didn’t seem to be any previous issues with Sengun despite all the physicality in the series. Sengun even acknowledged publicly that he didn’t think Ayton deserved to be ejected, which goes to show that it was unwarranted.
In order for Los Angeles to close out Houston in Game 5, Ayton will need to remain aggressive offensively while protecting the rim on the other end. Ayton sounds motivated to earn a win and it’ll be worth monitoring how he responds once Game 5 tips off.
Deandre Ayton: JJ Redick and LeBron James aren’t letting the Lakers get comfortable
The Lakers are in prime position to advance being up 3-1, but they still can’t afford to relax given what’s at stake. Head coach JJ Redick and LeBron James understand what it takes to go deep into the postseason and Ayton said the two aren’t letting him or the rest of the team get comfortable against the Rockets.
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